Improvement in the manufacture of stationary wash-tubs of clay or porcelain



B. MORAHAN. Manufacture of Stationary-Wash-Tubs of Clay or.

Patented Sepi. 10, 1878.

NFETERS, PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, u-C

Porcelain.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD MORAHAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. I

IMPROVEMl-ZLNT'IN THE MANUFACTURE or STATIONARY WASH-TUBS OF CLAY ORPORCELAIN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 207,978, dated September 10, 1878; application filed 1 April 29, 1518.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD MORAHAN, of Brooklyn, Kings county, State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating toCrockery Wash Tubs, of which the following is a specification:

The general construction of my tub corresponds with that described in mypatent dated September 7, 1869, No. 94,501; and it may becorrespondingly supported in cast-metal frames, as described in mypatent dated June 10, 1873, No. 139,685. It may have covers, wood frameson the edges, and any other adj uncts which are necessary or desirable.

My invention relates to certain peculiarities in the form. There is aliability to crack in the burning unless the corners are rounded, andthe rounding of the corners interferes with the proper support; I 'havediscovered a form which can be constructed with little liability tocrack, while it affords a broad and reliable base for supporting the tubby the bottom upon the frame. My 'form is rectangular, or nearly so, atthe base, but is round cornered at the top. The rounded corner graduallydecreases fromthe 'top downward.

My tub may be formed by molding in plaster-of-paris from a suitablecomposition of clay. It may be glazed and otherwise treated in the samemanner as the tubs I have previously described. The broad base, with itsangular or nearly angular corners at the bottom, gives a reliablesupport, which may rest either directly on the metal frames or onabedding of rubber, felt, or analogous yielding material, or on putty,cement, or analogous material which will ultimately harden. Theliability of the bottom to crack is far less than that of the top. Theupper portion, where the cracks are liable to start, is rounded at eachcorner with a considerable curve.

I re-enforce the places where the water-pipes are joined, and give theseparts a sufficient thickness to take the bearing when the parts arescrewed together. There is no strain on the ceramic material due to thesetting up of any bolts.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, andrepresent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section. Fig. 4. represents my method of setting the tubs inthe kiln for burning, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the lower tub withthe roll of clay in position ready to receive the upper tub in aninverted position for burning.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures. I l

A is the body of the tub, certain portions being represented by A A,&c.', when necessary to distinguish those parts. pipes are indicated byD and E.

The sides are plane throughout the upper I I portion of their extent. Ateach corner, at

the top. they are joined by a curve of consider- I able radius. Thisrounded corner is continued, but with a gradually-reduced radius, fromthe top to the bottom. At the bottom it is nearly or quite an angularcorner. The plane sides are marked A, the rounded corners at the top Aand the angular corners at the bottom A.

The points where the water-pipes 1) and E are joined are thickened, asindicated by the reenforces A These re-enforces are sufficiently thickto enable the crockery to resist all the strains which can be brought onit by the locknut or jam-nut appliedon the water-faucet in i making theconnection.

i The upper edge is widened by a flangc, A I which is rounded or beveledin the re-enterin g angle below.

The bevel on theunder side of theflange V A is important inavoiding abreakage when the clay shrinks in the mold. The bevel allows the upperpart of the tub to sink down a little wedgewise.

The strain by shrinkage does not break off my beveled flange, but simplyinclines its outer edge upward. This is afterward remedied by cuttingofl from the top to produce the correct form.

In the act of placing the articles in the kiln, I place first one tubright side up, and then place upon it another tub in an invertedposition, and introduce soft clay in the space between their upperfaces, but for only a portion of the distance around. The inclined frontedge of the tub is weak. The back and the main portion of the sides onlyare vertical, and well adapted to resist the considerable verti- Thewatercal pressure. I so dispose the interposed clay that the load is alltaken on those parts which are vertical.

The roll of clay introduced between the tubs is marked A. (See Figs. 4and 5.) 'It extends along the entire back and alonga portion of eachside. It is omitted along the front, and also along that portion of eachside which overhangs the bottom. By this means the load imposed by theupper tub is all received on the back, and on the back portions of thesides of the lower tub.

To still further preserve the overhung front edge of the lower tub, Ibrace it up in the kiln, as indicated by X, Fig. 4, putting a littlesoft clay between the upper edge of the brace X and the front face ofthe tub.

The greatest'liability of cracking is through the top or edge dryingfasterthan the bottomv through the moisture sinking therefrom, alongwith the fact that the air plays more freely around the top. I help toequalize the drying of top and bottom by having a heavy bead around thetop or edge, which also serves to keep the edges from crooking orwarping through strengthening. It also gives the advantage of enablingme to set the tubs, in the kiln to be fired, one on top of the other,month and mouth together, having a roll of soft clay between, on thisbroad edge, which the addition of this heavy bead affords me to set therolls on. If I had not this bead added, the rolls would not havesufficient surface to spread on to give a good and sufficient bearing inproportion to the great weight, and the roll would be likely to spreadover the edge on the inside of the tub, and when it would dry would belikely to drop into the tub, and when .fired would be found fastened asolid stone lump to the glaze.

I can round the back corners andfront corners both at the top, andextend the rounding gradually downward, dying out toward the bottom; butmy experiments indicate that such is not necessary. The back corners arethe main sources of difficulty. I prefer to'round the back corners only,leaving the front corners sharp all the way up and down, so that thelatter will tightly fill the frame.

The form of the upper face or edge is important. There is a slightinclination, the 1nner edge being the highest. This form dimin- ,ishesthe risk of any parts of the roll of soft clay which is placed betweenthe tubs being squeezed out on the inner side, and when the tub isfinishedit improves the finish by makingthe inner and visible edge formthe tightest joint against the Wood frame, (not repres'e'nted,) whichcovers the edges.

In order to prevent the access of the sulphurous gases to the glazedinner surfaces of the tubs, I stop the joint between the front edges ofthe tubs and the ends of the roll A with elay, as indicated by dottedlines A" in Figs. 4 and 5; butI take care to pack this clay filling soslightly as only to stop the access of gases, and not totake anyconsiderable portion of the weight.

Potters will readily understand that the upper edges of the tub must notbe glazed, as otherwise the roll of clay which takes the weight, andalso the loosely-packed clay whichsimply stops up the gases, would stickto the articles and cement the whole together.

; I claim as my invention v 1. The ceramic-ware wash-tub described,having angular corners at the bottom and rounded'corners at the top,adapted to serve as and for the purposes herein specified.

2. The ceramic-ware wash-tub described, having the upper face or edgehighest on the inside, and widened by a flange, A, and unglalzed, as andfor the purposes herein specifie' a 3. The method described of placingand supportingthe ceramic-ware tub in the kilnthat is to say, by placingtwo tubs mouth to mouth, with a layer, A, of clay placed between thebroadened rims A at the back portion, leaving the front or slantingportion free from pressure, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

BERNARD MORAHAN. Witnesses W. L. BENNEM, CHAS. O. STIJTSON.

